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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

[Nutritional status disorders prevalence rates in a sample of pediatric oncology Day Hospital patients]

A Schiavetti1, C Fornari, R Guidi

  • 1Clinica Pediatrica, Università degli Studi La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. amaliasc@tiscalinet.it

Minerva Pediatrica
|July 17, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric oncology patients on therapy show similar overweight rates to the general population, but a significant 26.3% are underweight. Those off-therapy have increased overweight prevalence and no underweight cases, highlighting the need for nutritional assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Nutritional Science
  • Clinical Research

Context:

  • Nutritional status is critical for pediatric growth and development.
  • Industrialized nations face high rates of pediatric overweight/obesity (35-40%).
  • Underweight in children is often linked to other diseases.

Purpose:

  • To determine the prevalence of nutritional status disorders in pediatric oncology day hospital patients.
  • To compare nutritional status between patients on-therapy and off-therapy.

Summary:

  • A study measured anthropometric parameters in pediatric solid tumor patients (on-therapy and off-therapy).
  • Real Body Weight (% RBW) was used to classify patients into weight categories.
  • Results: 44.4% were overweight/obese, 13.9% underweight. On-therapy: 36.9% overweight, 26.3% underweight. Off-therapy: 52.9% overweight, 0% underweight.

Impact:

  • Preliminary findings indicate that pediatric oncology patients on treatment have similar overweight prevalence to healthy children but a higher underweight rate.
  • Patients off-therapy exhibit increased overweight prevalence and resolved underweight status.
  • These results underscore the necessity of nutritional assessment and tailored strategies for oncologic patients.
Abstract

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